1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a copying machine and, more particularly, to a machine management system for the copying machine for administrating the machine according to information read from one of a plurality of information-bearing cards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to provide a copying machine with a machine management system. One type of machine management system hitherto known, herein referred to as a counter-based management system, includes a total counter device capable of providing information associated with both of the number of copies being made and the cumulative monetary amount incurred by any user of the copying machine in making copies with the copying machine.
Another type of machine management system hitherto known, hereinafter referred to as a key-based management system, includes key counters adapted to be distributed to a corresponding number of corporate departments or sections and each for use by one of a number of employees belonging to a particular one of the corporate departments or sections when the copying machine is to be used. Each of the key counters is capable of storing the number of copies made with the copying machine for the particular corporate department or section, and the cumulative monetary amount incurred in making the copies for the particular corporate department or section can be calculated on the basis of the number of the copies stored in the associated key counter.
Where particulars of use of the single copying machine by each of groups of any one of the corporate departments or by each of the individual department employees, such as, for example, the frequency of use thereof and the number of copies made thereby, are desired to be comprehended, any one of the prior art counter-based and key-based management systems is incapable of effectively managing the copying machine because of too much information required to be handled thereby.
In an attempt to substantially eliminate the above discussed problem, a machine management system operable with the use of one of a plurality of information-bearing cards each having a department code or an employee code recorded either magnetically or optically thereon has been suggested in, for example, the Japanese Laid-open Patent Publications No. 54-44523, published Apr. 9, 1979, and No. 56-51758, published May 9, 1981. This machine management system, hereinafter referred to as a card-based management system, comprises a card reader for reading information from one of the information-bearing cards which has been inserted therein, and the information read by the card reader can be stored in a memory device installed in the copying machine for later outputting thereof to an external processor.
While the prior art card-based management system appears to be satisfactory, it has been found having a problem which tends to occur when the copying machine falls into trouble requiring a servicing specialist to handle it. Specifically, immediately after a repair done by a servicing specialist to bring the copying machine into right position, the servicing specialist exercises a routine job of running the repaired copying machine to make test copies necessary for him or her to determine if all is well. However, where the copying machine in question is equipped with the machine management system, for example, the card-based management system, the servicing specialist has to borrow the information-bearing card from one of the corporate departments or one of the employees belonging to one of the corporate departments before the copying machine is operated for testing purpose.
Once the servicing specialist has run the copying machine with the borrowed information-bearing card for testing purpose after the repair, information stored in the information-bearing card is updated beyond the control of and/or against the will of the authentic owner of such information-bearing card. If the billing of the monetary amount incurred in making the copies is to be done on bona fide basis, the billing will be done by subtracting from the total amount the amount which was incurred in making the test copies. This system imposes an extra tiresome and, yet, cumbersome job on a corporate accountant.
It may be a compromise to remove the card-based management system out from the copying machine when the servicing specialist is going to run the copying machine for testing purpose. However, this is complicated and time-consuming.
The foregoing discussion made in connection with the card-based management system can be equally applicable to the key-based management system.
Accordingly, there continues to be a need for an improvement in and of the card-based management system which can be disabled when the servicing specialist operates the copying machine for testing purpose subsequent to the repair.